A radish plant only produces one radish? - Ask Extension
I am a new gardener. I love radishes, so this year i purchased a six-pack of baby radish plants and put them in my garden. After googling how to gro...
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A radish plant only produces one radish? #377195
Asked November 15, 2016, 2:59 PM EST
I am a new gardener. I love radishes, so this year i purchased a six-pack of baby radish plants and put them in my garden. After googling how to grow radishes, i found out i am only going to harvest the same radish i put in the ground. WHAT"S THE POINT!!! I could have bought a package of radishes at the grocery with 30 radishes for less money than the 6 baby plants i bought. I was hoping each plant would produce mutliple radishes and then continue to produce.
Palm Beach CountyFlorida
Expert Response
Thanks for your question! You have identified one of the great frustrations of 'entry level' gardening--not knowing what is the most economical way to get vegetables! One radish seed produces only one radish (although you may occasionally find 'offset bulbs' that you can plant that will mature into one radish each.
By far, the cheapest way to grow radishes (and carrots, lettuce, spinach, etc.) is to plant seeds. Here's a link to an FSU article on vegetable gardening; there's a chart at the end telling when and how to plant common vegetables, with notes at the bottom about 'transplantability' (whether by you or transplants from the garden store.
i did not plant seeds - i went to the nursery and bought a six pack of baby radish plants assuming they would produce more than just the same radish i put in the ground.
I know. That's why I'm suggesting that you buy a package of seeds next year and plant them according to the directions in the chart. One seed only produces one radish. One radish plant only produces one radish. You could have bought them in the produce of the grocery store cheaper.
Sorry; I missed the weed block question. (I'm assuming you mean some sort of fabric that lets air and water in.) I spent hundreds of dollars putting down that stuff, and it was a waste of money. You can accomplish the same thing--better--by putting down an organic mulch, like hay. And the seeds (or your valuable transplants) can come up through it. Mulch helps the soil retain moisture, suppresses weeds, and breaks down through the work of microbes in the soil, so it returns nutrients (food) to the plants. And it's way cheaper than soil fabrics. Here's another link to an excellent article about mulches.
Thank you again for all the great information. You obviously are a very successful and experienced garden. We use the weed block sold at Home Depot or Nursery. It's like a plastic roll. My garden is NOT that big (about 15" by 3" raised garden bed my husband built with irrigation). I'm confused how the seeds and seedlings can break through hay or mulch and not the weeds??? Doesn't seem to make sense. What am i missing. And back to the dumb radishes (lol), i guess i can let the radish greens sprout and use them so i at least get more than 6 radishes back for my 6 radish investment! Lesson learned.
You have to cut holes wherever you planted seeds or transplants. You keep the mulch pulled away from where your seedlings are sprouting, and keep it to the required depth where you have no seedling.
